Eclipse
by Iris-Phoenix
Summary: NejixTenten and NarutoxHinata. College is rough, but throw in a crazy art teacher, a prissy know-it-all hall-mate, a nurse with more kick than a horse, and hypocritical language teacher and it's hell! That's only starters, so let's see how they survive.
1. Sunset

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, I'm writing fanfiction 'cause I own it…right. I don't I'm just borrowing the characters. They will be returned…some a little more rumpled than others.

**Author's Notes: **It's an AU, Alternate Universe. Whee…Right, parings are NejixTenten and NarutoxHinata. I have no idea what inspired me to write this…so I can't come up with a good summary. So, you'll just have to read it, and see if you can pick it out.

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

Prologue: Sunset

_Sunset isn't the end of the Day_

_It's the beginning of the Night_

Neji had always been good with numbers. He could work his way through any computer system, given the right amount of time. He could see patterns in the most obscure things, and was always-always!-right. He was a practical genius when it came to numbers, patterns and logic.

But his roommate-and best friend-was another type of genius.

This one's talent was in the arts. Drama, music, and art-nothing got by him. He had so many different instruments around in his room, it made Neji's head spin. And Naruto could play every single one! He had even dragged in a piano, and composed a few things for it!

Neji was sure that the blond had more time on his hands than needed. He had even gone so far as to teaching Neji how to play a few of the instruments…then stuck to teaching him piano after Neji had somehow managed to transpose bass to treble…Naruto had thrown a fit when he had found out…he had chased him around the flat, with the sheet music in one hand, yelling about how tone deaf someone could be, and how Neji made his ears bleed. That had been an interesting day. It ended with Neji hiding in his room until Naruto had stalked off to draw something.

The one thing they had in common was that they were both very talented with martial arts. And that was the reason they had agreed on the flat-it had a big dinning room. Which, of course, didn't function as one once they moved in. Nope, it was now a sparring room, where they beat each other senseless. That was where the personalities flipped.

Neji's moves were 'artistic' and almost like a dance, using the other's momentum and attacks against them. He dodged rather than blocked, and normally won by hitting his opponent-Naruto-at the right time with enough force to send him flying. Or he aimed for pressure points, causing enough pain that Naruto quit.

Naruto was straight forward, charging in with all he had, and brute strength. He had more energy than anyone had a right to, as Neji once put it. He was tricky, and used that to his advantage, by making it seem like he feel for something, and then coming right back up and decking Neji out. Or any other variety of tricks that he had come up with. Mostly they ended up dead even, falling over at the same time.

Today was one of the days that Naruto won. Neji was sprawled out on the floor, staring at the ceiling. He had slipped up, just an inch, and Naruto was quick to take advantage of it. But with Neji flat on his back it meant that Naruto had to go and get the mail. The blond had just opened the door, only to be tackled by an overly energetic-yes Naruto called someone overly energetic-spandex clad person.

"LEE! Air! Air is good!" he said, after said person had him in a 'hug' of some sorts, and Lee let go of him.

"I apologize. For that I will-" and Neji, being a childhood friend-Naruto still didn't understand how-of Lee's could tell there was an oncoming rant of 'Youth' so he cut him off before he could get started.

"-help a fallen friend get back to his feet." He cut in. Lee blinked, and looked around to see where Neji's voice had come from. He wandered farther into the house, and found his friend, lying on his back. His normally unruffled martial arts clothes were looking slightly disheveled from his fall. Lee grabbed one of his friend's arms, and hauled him to his feet.

In the doorway Naruto had just greeted the other visitor-Tenten. She was the more normal of the two, with brown hair and eyes and kept her hair up in two buns on her head. She was also Neji's girlfriend, and had been for the last month. Lee had shiny bowl-cut black hair, and eyebrows that resembled caterpillars. When Naruto first met him he had been in a state of shock for a few days, blabbering something about 'wax' and 'needs to shave' much to Neji's amusement. And that was without saying what he wanted to say about the spandex….Naruto still shivered whenever he thought about it. Or when he saw Lee. He was an artist, and that was just…just not RIGHT!

Still it was fun to spar against him. Not that he ever won, Neji had a better chance at that. Naruto and Lee's styles were too similar; Neji was the odd one out, which made it harder to take him down. Now teaming up against Neji was fun. Though, in Neji's opinion, it was a pain.

Tenten and Naruto walked back to the sparring room-that's all it was used for-and found Neji leaning on Lee for support.

"Naruto…did you have to hit so hard? I do have bones that break, and I would prefer _not_ to break any of them, thank you very much." Neji said, as Lee helped him to a seat. Naruto laughed nervously, and rubbed the back of his head. Neji was giving him the all too recognizable Hyuuga-Glare-Of-Painful-Death. That usually meant that Naruto was going to feel the repercussions of this bought later.

"Neji? Hey, do you want to go out later? Tomorrow, perhaps?" she asked, taking in the way he looked at the moment. And she gave Neji a look, one that meant she had a few ideas of what she wanted to do(A/N: minds outta the gutter please)and Neji shooed the other two out of the room.

"Your cousin is still not making her move. We've been trying since we hooked up, and she is doing nothing!" Tenten said, exasperated. Neji sighed, he knew this, no matter how many times he had tried to get her to say something she never listened to him. So, it seemed that Tenten had an idea, another one.

"So, what do you plan to do this time?" he asked, and she gave him a grin that would make weaker souls curl up and die. Fortunately Neji's soul was not weak, and he had seen that look quite a few times already.

"I thought you'd never ask. Here's the plan…"the rest was inaudible, as she bent over to whisper it to him, not trusting their friends. They seemed to like to eavesdrop.

After she finished, she straightened up, and Neji nodded. It was a good plan, now they only had to put it into action. Tenten helped Neji to his feet, and into the room off to the side-Naruto's studio. He was currently working on a new project, and Lee was looking all over the place, and playing 'Talk-Naruto's-Ear-Off' with zeal.

"Hey, Naruto? Since Neji is outta commission, could you take me to go shopping? I need to get Hinata a present for helping me with a project of mine." Total lie, she was simply using this as an excuse to get Naruto out of the house, this being the first step in the plan. Naruto was none the wiser to thin though.

"Yeah, uh, leeme get dressed…" he answered, as he was still in his martial arts gear. He scampered off to his room to change into suitable clothing.

"You are trying to play match-maker again, out Most Youthful Flower? That's wonderful! Do I get to help again?" Lee asked as soon as Naruto was out of earshot. Tenten thought for a few minutes.

"Hmn…actually yes, you can. Hinata doesn't know you're in on this, she always suspects us of something when we come over nowadays. So, here's what I need you to do…"

-------------------------

Naruto had picked out one of his eye-blinding orange shirts, and a more normal set of black jeans. He sprinted out of his room to see Neji sleeping on the couch, and that Lee had already left. Tenten was waiting for him, and tapping her foot impatiently. When he showed up she sighed.

"About time! Now let's go!" she said, and grabbed the artist by his wrist and dragged him from the home. Neji sat up, as he heard the door slam.

"Well…better get to work on my part…" he muttered as he got to his feet.

---------------------------

"Lee-san? What does Naruto need me for?" Hinata asked, and Lee shook his head.

"He went out before he could tell me. He just said it was something that he wanted to give you." Lee replied, and Hinata sighed, but nodded. She got to her feet and followed Lee back to the flat that her cousin and Naruto shared. She had no idea what she was getting herself into.

------------------------

Naruto and Tenten came back from the shopping trip, Tenten insisting that Naruto carry the present. It was a box of chocolates, and Naruto had no idea why he was carrying it. Still he listened to the weapon's enthusiast, and walked up the steps to the flat. He came into the room to find that the place looked to be completely deserted. Neji had cleaned up, and was currently holed up in his room. Naruto shook his head. He sat down, and waited for Tenten to ask for the thing. Before he could get impatient Hinata and Lee walked in the door, and Tenten motioned for Naruto to give Hinata the box. Naruto rolled his eyes, but obeyed as he wondered how someone could be so lazy. He also heard Neji's door open. But before he could turn around Lee had 'tripped' and 'accidentally' knocked Hinata forwards into Naruto, so that their lips met. Both were too surprised to do anything for a few seconds, neither inclined to pull away though. Though that's what they did when they saw the flash of a camera. Neji had his camera out, and was smirking like a fiend. He looked down to the camera, and his smirk widened.

"You two make a great couple…" he said, and both Naruto and Hinata turned red.

"Don't deny it. You both liked it." Tenten replied, referring to the kiss the two had just shared. And neither of them denied it, and Tenten smiled after a few seconds.

"W-well then…I guess this means that me an' Hinata are…?"

"A couple? Oh yeah! Finally, it took forever to get you both to see the light." Tenten said, and Lee nodded fervently. Neji was stuffing the camera into a pocket, but he was grinning widely.

It was about time too.

A/N: No this isn't a one-shot, I just wanted to get the couple thing outta the way. Don't look for romance in this story, there isn't going to be much of it. Action coming up!


	2. New Moon

Phase One: New Moon

**Summary: **College is a pain, especially with the professors of Konoha University. Dragging in the supernatural, like demons, reincarnated priests, vampires, mer-folk and were-folk…well then you have a college that may be more than any student can handle!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own. They must all be very grateful for that.

**Author's Notes:** Do not read if you don't like Tenten. I don't particularly like her, but neither do I hate her, so she is not going to be bashed in the story. And she is paired with Neji, as Hinata is paired with Naruto. And if you want romance, sorry. I don't like that category much…more like it don't like me.

To all the people who reviewed-here's a cookie

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

'**Shukaku/Kyuubi'**

**Phase One: New Moon**

_New Beginnings always_

_Start at the Ending of the Old_

The rest of the summer, and the first few weeks of college was a blur after that. Hinata and Naruto received a few knowing looks and a few others wondered how it had happened. Though if anyone asked Neji, Lee or Tenten they cracked up. The fact that they had finally managed to get the two together was a very big accomplishment, and they loved it. Now, they just had to focus on making it through college. One year left for the lot of them. Still, they had made plans that would keep them in contact with each other, and then some if the relationships worked out.

With the new year beginning that meant that they had new classes, and new teachers.

"Ne, Neji, have you met the new art teacher?" Naruto asked, once Neji's classes had ended for the day. Neji tossed his backpack near the couch, and then flopped over onto said couch.

"Ugh…he's nuts. What the hell is he thinking!? He was setting of firecrackers!" the brunette responded, and stretched his arms over his head.

"I know! Awesome!" Naruto quipped, and Neji glared at him. Naruto chuckled nervously and looked the other way.

"If you try that in our flat, I will kill you." Neji growled, as he let his arms dangle off the arm of the couch, and Naruto gulped, and didn't respond. When the phone rang he bolted for it, and picked it up. He juggled it some, before managing to get it under control.

"Hello? Resident one artist Uzumaki and one tone deaf Hyuuga. Uzumaki, Naruto speaking." Naruto greeted, and was hit in the back of the head by a textbook.

"Naruto? What did you say to Neji?" Tenten asked, as she heard the impact of the textbook, and Naruto massaged the back of his head and glared at the Hyuuga-who was doing a very good job of acting as if he was too involved in math homework to have even thought of throwing a book at the blond.

"All I did was praise the new art teacher. And he hit me with a book!" Naruto exclaimed, and Neji decided to look up at that point.

"No. I hit you with a book after you called me tone deaf." He responded, and Naruto made a face. Tenten sighed, and was tempted to hang up the phone before she became a witness of sorts to a murder.

"Hello? Guys? I'm still here, and I wanted to ask you to come over, so we can talk about plans for Halloween, you know, haunted house thing? I've got a few other people who would love to try their hands at this." Tenten said, raising her voice as Naruto and Neji had begun to quarrel. Her loud voice cut through their argument, and they stopped in time to hear her last statement.

"Eh? Well, so what time?" Naruto asked, and Tenten sighed. Sometimes she agreed with Neji; Naruto needed to be hit-and hard. Still, he was a good friend. So she had to deal with him. Then again, she had been looking forwards to Halloween, and didn't want these two idiots to mess up her 'Grand Plan'-as she called it.

"Now. Get over to my apartment now." She responded, and hung up. Neji and Naruto simply looked between themselves, and the phone, before Neji shrugged, and got back to his feet.

"Well, c'mon. Hang up the phone and get moving." He said, as he grabbed his coat, and pulled his shoes on, looking back at the blond. Said blond quickly hung the phone up, and scrambled for his coat and shoes, and raced after the Hyuuga, who was already walking off.

As they got to Tenten's apartment they could tell that she had found more than 'just a few' people to help with the Halloween project. They weren't surprised when the opened the door and found almost nine other people in her apartment. Though a few did look less than enthusiastic with the situation. One being Sasuke Uchiha.

"Well, now that we're all here let's get down to business." Tenten said, as she came out into the room. She held up a roll of paper, on which she had the floor plans for the house they were using. How she had gotten that was beyond anyone, but here they were.

"Tenten…how did you…never mind. What have we got to work with?" Neji asked, as he stood up to look over her shoulder at the plans. He was followed by Sasuke, Naruto and Shino-the resident bug expert. It wasn't too large of a house…but it wasn't tiny either. Neji suspected that her father had something to do with getting the plans and money to rent the house.

"So…two floors, a large living room, and a basement. Not to bad." Sasuke commented, and Shino nodded.

It would do, it would do just fine.

--

"So…he's late again…" Neji muttered, as he placed his books down on the desk. He had been late-Naruto had decided to play a prank on him for the textbook incident-and that resulted in him becoming late for class. Not that it mattered. The Spanish professor was never on time. Ever. Class was a half-hour ago, and the man was nowhere in sight. Neji heard a few curses from the back of the room. It was Kiba, who seemed to have an appointment, and now noticed that if the professor was any later they would be staying overtime.

"Ah, well sorry about that, I got lost on the way here." Speak of the devil, there was Professor Kakashi now. Neji scowled, as did a few other students. At least they were getting used to this. A few weeks ago would have had Sakura out of her seat and yelling at the silver-haired man.

On the top of her lungs.

And looking ready to kill.

Neji was glad he wasn't sitting next to her, then again Shino seemed to be dealing with that fact pretty well. Then again who knew what he was thinking? For all he knew Shino was asleep behind the glasses…but then again the young man did answer questions directed at him. And without much more adieu the class began.

--

The rest of the day went by without anything spectacular happening. Neji made his way to his flat, and was blindsided by his roommate.

"HIDE ME! I pissed off the new kid!" He whimpered, as Neji got back to his feet, in time to see an angry red-head heading their way. Neji gulped, grabbed Naruto's wrist, and bolted, hiding behind a nearby wall.

"What the hell did you do?!" he hissed, and Naruto shrugged. Neji glared at the artist until he answered.

"I…I uh kinda splattered paint on his shirt…the oil paint…" he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What are you two doing?" a voice asked, and the looked up to see Tenten holding a large bag, and she looked like she was heading back to the house they were turning into a haunted house. Neji glanced over to see where the red-head, Gaara, had gone before answering.

"Naruto here managed to make the new student mad at him." He replied, as he stood up. Tenten shook her head, and yanked the blond to his feet.

"Well, c'mon. Time to go to the house. The others should be there by now. Project 'Haunted House' is now underway!" And off they went, not noticing that a certain red-head was watching.

'**That's him…and with the Kyuubi as well…don't know the girl, but that's the priest's reincarnation all right.' **A voice said, and the red-head nodded. He didn't understand why the demon wanted the boy dead…but he knew that if he was with the Kyuubi this was going to all the harder.

'_The 'Haunted House'…maybe that could prove to be a good time?' _ he suggested, and felt the demon agree. He left for his home, already planning. He could care less about who was hurt, as long as it got the demon inside him to go away.

(A/N: Annnd there it is…no this is not yaoi. For that go to my other stories. Well…it may have hints of yaoi, but I don't foresee it being major…then again I have no idea where this is going.)


	3. Waxing Crescent

**Disclaimer:** Don't own anything that you can recognize from Naruto!

**Summary:**…didn't change…I still have no idea where the hell it's going

**A/N: **rose-of-alabaster – Heh…well it was due out, and I had to finish it…my muse finally kicked the WB's butt. I was stuck and the 'Priest' thing…well it was an idea I was toying with, and decided that if it would get the story moving again I was going to use it. It'll be explained later, don't worry

usagiki1234 – yeah a haunted house, that is definitely going to be fun to write.

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

'**Demon'**

**Phase Two: Waxing Crescent**

_A sliver of light_

_To brighten the way_

Neji yawned, and stretched. It – meaning the 'haunted house' – was only a few days from complete…decoration-wise. Naruto had gone over the top, and Neji was the one who had gone through all the electronics. Shino had provided a few 'live' decorations that sent Sakura into a fit. Tenten had laughed – quite loudly – when that had happened. Sasuke was providing a few other electronics to monitor things, as the house was quite large, and it would be best to make sure that people didn't stray off course. And it would just be plain funny to get video of the macho people wetting themselves. Ino was in charge of costumes, and Choji was there to help with setting up the heavy things. Hinata was checking over things, to make sure they weren't too dangerous. That didn't mean it couldn't look dangerous. Shikamaru was fiddling with the lighting, making the waiting room look perfect…for a haunted house. Sakura was doing what she could. That meant helping everyone with homework as they worked on the haunted house. Lee was helping where he could, and Kiba was helping Naruto with the more artistic decorations. Tenten was making sure everything got done. All-in-all everyone was pitching in to get the thing done before Halloween hit.

"Hey, Tenten? The decorations are done, so what now?" Naruto asked, as he looked up from the couch he was sprawled on. They were all in the house, and had just finished the last bits of decoration. Tenten looked up from her plans, and tapped the blueprints.

"Well, there are enough rooms that we should be fine if we split into pairs. Hinata, Ino and I are the tour guides. That works. So, that leaves the rest of you to pair up, and divvy out the rooms, and think of something creepy to put in there. Oh…wait. Sasuke. Someone is going to have to watch the cameras. You and Sakura get that job, just no kissing on duty. The rest of you can divide into pairs now." Tenten said, as she walked over to Hinata to discuss the outfits.

"Neji! You're my partner! I've got a great idea, c'mere." Naruto said, as he seized Neji's arm before he could so much as get up. Looking around Neji realized why. Lee and Choji were talking about what they could do, and Shikamaru was talking to a very bouncy Kiba.

"I've got an idea! A really cool one! But we need the basement, hang on…Oi! Tenten! Me an' Neji are taking the basement!" Naruto yelled, and Neji plugged his ears as the blond was still next to him. Tenten waved to show she heard him, and Naruto ginned widely.

"Yes! Okay, well here's the idea…" and for the next hour they, and the rest of the groups spent talking about various ideas, and how to get the supplies, and dangers and whatnot.

-----------------------------------------------

The next day was spent collecting the supplies, and getting through the school day. Most of them were too excited about their project to concentrate on the schoolwork, but somehow managed it.

"…and that does it for today. Any questions?" Professor Kurina asked, as she looked around the psychology class. She raised an eyebrow when she noticed that even Sakura was not asking her usual questions. And, by god, was that Sasuke sleeping in class?! Well…as long as they got everything done, she wasn't going to ask…after all they were a couple, and if they wanted to do such things then fine.

"Well, class dismissed." She said, and watched Sakura poke the Uchiha awake, and the two walk off.

Sakura had to jab Sasuke pretty hard to get him to move. He first just muttered curses and swatted at her.

"Sasuke! We didn't stay up that late installing cameras! Now move!" she hissed, as she jabbed him. He looked back up at her and glared death at her.

"How the hell are you so perky? It was one in the damn morning! Sheesh…I'm up…let's go, we still have to finish it off…" he grumbled as he followed the pinkett out of the classroom, neither the wiser to what others thought they had been up to last night.

----------------------------------------------------

Soon the weather began to turn colder, and the leaves began to fall. September was closing, and October was looming. By now they had about a week to get everything done and finished. That meant a lot of running around for them. Still, they somehow got everything done, even though it was quite a push for some of them. Some meaning most, even Neji was pushing his limit.

"ARGH! You would think that the professors know we are trying to set something up in our free time! They've loaded me down with projects and shit!" Kiba whined, as soon as he got in the door. Neji promptly tossed a knife at him. Kiba, being Kiba, ducked it and let it get imbedded in the door that had swung closed behind him.

"What the hell?! What moron gave him a sharp pointy thing?! Huh?!" Kiba snapped as he pulled said sharp pointy thing from the door. Neji sighed, and resumed carving the decorations to fit, by flipping out a pocket knife. Kiba twitched, as a few chuckles were heard around the room.

"Keep it down. I'm trying to get this shaved down so it will fit, seeing as how Naruto is currently doing something else for our area." Neji said, as he gestured to the coffin he was working on. He was making small holes in the wood to fix small hinges in. So far he and Naruto had most of their props finished, all Naruto was doing was painting the room. Neji didn't want to be down in that room while the energetic blond was flinging paint around. He knew from experience that it was messy. As all things went most people chose to evacuate the rooms when Naruto came into them with paint and brushes. His rather…unique style of painting a room had been learned when Ino had stayed in the same room as the artist when he had begun. Ino had looked like she had been caught in a sprinkler filled with paint afterwards. And that was being nice about it. Everyone was sure to clear the room when he came in after that. Not that they could be blamed for doing so.

And speak of the devil…

"OIIII!!! I'm done! Hey! That looks good…" Naruto commented as he ploinked himself down beside the brunet. Which of course sent Neji off balance, just enough for him to slice his hand open with the pocket knife. He let out a yelp, and dropped the knife, in favor for his hand.

"NARUTO! Damnit…moron…" Neji grumbled, even as some of the other people glanced over to see what happened. Tenten hit Naruto on the head.

"Idiot! He had a knife in his hand and…and what the hell were you thinking?!" Tenten snapped, as she seized her boyfriend's wrist so she could examine the cut. Hinata a few others were looking around for bandages. Neji sighed, and Naruto apologized. He waved it off.

"I've done worse." He muttered, though that wasn't exactly true…he was just trying to make the others feel better. Truth be told, it hurt like hell.

After his hand had been bandaged, after they were sure it didn't need stitches, they went back to work. Only a few days left!

------------------------------------

'_And what do you have planned?' _ Gaara asked Shukaku, as he stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. He couldn't sleep. Never had been able to once the demon had woken up inside him. Something about it just being there prevented sleep. Not that he cared anymore, he just wanted the demon gone, and if the death of someone else got that…well then he didn't care. He knew it was selfish, but had anyone been in his shoes they would be saying the same thing.

'**Plenty…you know that flyer you showed me? He's running one of the stunts there. Kyuubi loves playing pranks, and he would have dragged the priest into the mix as well. You work out the rest.'** Shukaku said, sounding smug.

'_Ah…all that fake blood. Who would be able to tell the difference between fake and real?'_ Gaara said, as he remembered how real some fake blood had looked. Almost real, and in the right lighting…

'**Exactly, but do not worry about how to pull this off. I have a plan. This will be one haunted house that this group will not be making it out of.'** The demon chuckled. Gaara nodded, and stared out his window to the starry sky. He could hear the demon laughing to itself, and he wanted nothing more than to be rid of the creature.

A/N: whoo…that took longer than expected to get out.


	4. First Quarter

**Disclaimer:** Don't own anything that you can recognize from Naruto!

**Summary:**…didn't change…I still have no idea where the hell it's going

**A/N:** XxXuSaGiKiXxX– +sweatdrop+ uh…sorry about the delay…

Chirisaa-chan – er…Tenten? No…and yes, Shukakau is gonna be a bit of a nut job in this one. The Haunted house is in the next chapter, as this one was getting really long…

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

'**Demon'**

**Phase Three: First Quarter**

_Now, is it half empty_

_Or half full?_

Neji blinked, and sat up, wondering what had woken him up at…5:00 in the morning. He glared at the clock for a good few seconds, before sighing and getting out of bed. He was not one to question what was going on, but he had a feeling he had not been woken by the noise in the other room. Something else had woken him, an under-current of… something...not human. Not normal. But he could not place it, though it didn't seem hostile. For now.

"Oi! Naruto! You idiot what are you doing?!" he yelled, as he walked out of his room. The blond let out a squeak, and then waved from the kitchen. Neji stared at what the artist was eating.

"Um…that was cooked…right?" he asked, pointing to the pidgin currently laying on the counter. Minus a wing. And most of its breast. Naruto shrugged.

"Ah…no idea. The crunching woke you up?" he asked, referring to the noise that the crunching of the bones was sure to have caused. Neji wrinkled his nose.

"Hardly…but what do you mean you 'don't know' if it was cooked? You're eating it!" Neji snapped, pointing at the wing in Naruto's mouth, and the few feathers around him.

"Eh…oh…so I am…" the blond shrugged, not looking the least bit concerned. Neji on the other hand was pulling out the telephone book and making his way to the phone.

"Naruto…you stay there. I'm calling the clinic…hopefully this is not serious enough to warrant a hospital trip." He said, not noticing how the blond's eyes turned red, as he went back to chewing on the bird.

"And for gods sakes – stop that!" he growled, and blinked when the chuckle that came from behind him did _not_ sound like Naruto. He turned around, and glared at his roommate's back.

"I am not joking…spit that out!" He snatched the bird away, and tossed it into the trash. 'Naruto' continued to laugh.

"Heheheee…always the mother…aren't you? Is that some trait ingrained in the personality of all priests?" he chuckled, and Neji stared at him.

"Priest? I am not a priest! I'm not even trying to become one! I am studying to be a computer programmer!" he retorted, and the blond shook his head.

"Always with the denial…don't worry…you _will_ remember. Hopefully before your lack of memory gets you _killed_ like last time." He responded, and finally lifted his gaze from the floor to Neji's face.

Red met white.

"Funny…you got red contacts…you may be getting too much into this…" Neji said, but still took a nervous step backwards. 'Naruto' chuckled and moved forwards.

"Deny all you like, but a part of you knows better. Hehehe…that's why you're scared. Don't worry little bird, I don't bite. This kitsune has already eaten." By now Neji had backed into the counter, and was groping for a weapon.

"N-Naruto…This is no longer funny. Stop it!" he yelled, as he watched the blond come closer.

"Pretty and dense. As always. You get the looks and lose the brains hmn?" the blond asked, and Neji choked.

"Wh-what?! Take that back! Naruto I'm not joking with you!" He snapped after he recovered.

"Now now…I thought that by now you would have figured out that I'm _not_ Naruto. He's…sleeping. I'm in con-" he was interrupted but Neji swinging a knife at him.

"Back up!" he snapped, gripping the knife in both hands. The kitsune smirked, raising both hands over his head.

"Oh? This is still your roommate's body. Don't want to damage this now…do you?" he asked, and Neji glowered.

"Get out of his body!" he growled, before lunging forwards. The kitsune moved to one side, grabbed his hair, and swung him back into the counter. Neji let out a gasp of air as his ribcage hit the edge of the hard wood counters, and the knife flew from his grip. Before he could move he felt two hands grab his writs and pin him to the counter.

"Now. Let's talk reasonably shall we? Like adults; no sharp objects, no injuries, and no insults…or was that the other way around?" it asked, and smirked as the one visible eye of Neji's narrowed.

"Get. Off. Of. Me. NOW!" the brunet demanded, as he tried to free his wrists. But the blond's grip was like iron, something Neji never remembered Naruto having. Naruto didn't grapple much. He threw punches and the like but his grip had never been hard to break out of. And now? Now he was having trouble moving his wrists at all.

"First let's clear up something, shall we? I'm Kyuubi. You're a priest. A very powerful one, and one that is reincarnated every few generations. Oh, and I have had a hard time convincing you of this reincarnation or so. And normally the reincarnations that don't listen to me end up dying very messily." It commented. Neji's glared intensified.

"Are you threatening me?" Neji growled. Kyuubi shook his head.

"No, no, no…not at all. Warning you rather. There are eight other demons out there, and have probably all been draw to this area over a period of a few years. You're about twenty-three…right? Right, well at eighteen your…other half shall we?...woke up, and that power drew the demons to you." It replied, smirking a bit.

"Right. I'm a priest…so why would demons flock towards something that normally kills such things? I really don't buy this at all. Let me up, I have other things to do rather than listen to you." Neji grumbled, testing Kyuubi's grip again.

"Because until you wake up and smell the changes you're no stronger than a normal human. They will hunt you down and kill you!" Kyuubi snapped for the first time, and tightened his grip to the point where Neji could feel his bones grind together. He winced at the noise and pain.

"OW! Damnit! Let go!" Neji yelped, and twisted around as best he could. Kyuubi growled.

"Fine! When you end up killed see if I care you miserable human!" and with that he let go of the brunet's wrists and let him fall to the floor, and backed up a few paces. Neji got to his feet just in time to see the red eyes turn blue.

Naruto blinked in confusion a few times before bringing his hand to his mouth.

"…Neji? Why do I have feathers in my teeth?" Naruto asked, and Neji sighed.

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"Well now…this is interesting to say the least." Tenten commented, as she looked around the rooms. She was supposed to check the rooms and decide which way was better for the 'tour' through the house, and found that many were in various states of finished. Some still had wires that needed to be hidden, or surprises that had to be stuffed away, but it was coming along.

"Within a day or two it should all be done." Was the comment of the day, as things began to reach completion.

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'**Just a few more days…just a few more. Heheheeeee…This is going to be fun.' **Shukaku cackled, and Gaara winced. As the day had gotten closer he had begun to really dislike the demon. He wanted him gone, out of his mind, out of his _life!_ But the cost would be taking the life of someone else…

'**Fool. You don't even know him, why the hell should you care about his one life? Sure it's not nice, but nothing in this world ever is. Get over your righteous morals or you'll go down with them.' **The demon snarled, as it sensed Gaara's hesitation.

'_But…I…nevermind. Fine. Just go away once he's gone.'_ Gaara sighed, staring out the window again. He was tired of talking to the deranged thing in his mind, but it never seemed to tire of talking to him.

'**Fine by me!' **it replied, and returned to cackling and just generally being a deranged psychopathic demon.

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"Well…Tomorrow will be the big day. We're all set, and ready to go!" Tenten crowed, as she finished up the last bits of the costumes, and stood back to admire her handiwork. She nodded to herself, thinking of how gorgeous they would look in the dresses, and sighed. It really was too bad that they were not going to be usable afterwards, but then again all that walking was bound to warp them out of shape. Oh well, so was the sacrifices of a greater good!

After that thought she folded the dresses up neatly and put them away. And then she went off to get some sleep, for she knew she would need it for the next day.

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Neji turned over in his sleep, and stared up at the ceiling, wondering what had happened to his normal life. Having a possessed – mentally unstable at the least – roommate was not something he had been planning on. Maybe it would be better to go with the flow, and try to play along? Or would that make things worse?

Anyway…he had to admit that if it was a demon then he was in over his head. He had no idea what was going on, and felt like a rather small pawn in the middle of a furious chess game. He was just being told what to do, told what to believe, and not given any other options, or any more information.

But for a second, just a moment really, when the red eyes had met his own, he had felt a flash of emotions. Something in the back of his mind had been scared and…relieved…all at once. Like he had just met someone who he knew could kill him, but also knew that the person would never do such a thing.

He sighed, as his mind finally stopped running in circles, and buried his face into the pillows, before falling asleep.

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Naruto, for his part was sound asleep. Kyuubi, on the other hand, was awake and restless. He had spoken harshly to the one person he had said he was going to protect…too harshly. But after seeing one reincarnation after another die…he just couldn't take it. There had to be a way to break the cycle, some way to set the soul of that long-dead friend free to join his family. He had promised, and while he was a demon, he had yet to go back on his promises. But so far…so far he had been highly unsuccessful, and it hurt him more than he wanted to show. He had no idea how to lift the curse on the priest's soul, even though he had been looking for a way in what time he had been able. He and the Two-Tailed Cat had fought side-by-side with him to drive back the other tailed-beasts…but in the end even their power had not been enough to stop one of the beasts from cursing the poor priest, stripping his soul from his body. Kyuubi and Nibi had become angered, and sealed themselves and the others away, but somehow had dragged the priest's soul into the seal with them. If he could only break the curse…then the soul would be free…but he had yet to find which demon had cursed the priest.

He cut his musings short as he realized that he was agitating his host, and settled down for a nap. Tomorrow was another day after all…

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When the first day of them opening came Tenten peeked out the window, and practically squealed.

"Dija guys see the line? Oh! This is going to be fun!" she said, her face had a wide grin on it, even as the others also broke down and grinned with her. It was good news indeed.

Then they opened up and let the first few customers in.

And that was when, down in the basement, Naruto's eyes went red again.

(A/N: +sigh+ done…sorry, I've just not been feeling up to writing…home-life stinks…)


	5. Waxing Gibbous

**Disclaimer:** I have long since run out of witty things to say so here it is, plain and simple – I do not own Naruto.

**Summary:**…+looks around+ uhm…can't find a different one…so go with the one in the last chapter please

**A/N: **bleah…okay, not to beg, but reviews make me feel like I'm doing this thing right. So…please drop me one if you like the story.

Chirisaa Tomoko – mn…? Well it just generally sucked. And now college is driving me batty. Ah well. And here goes, you'll find out why his eyes went red now.

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

'**Demon'**

**Phase Four: Waxing Gibbous**

_And now it glows brighter_

_The light to mark the way _

Neji jumped to his feet as he saw the change, but didn't move any closer as the demon stared at him.

"Okay priest boy…there is a demon here…" the demon growled, and Neji shot him a death glare at being referred to in such a way.

"Yeah. You. Now shut up and give Naruto his body back." He growled, as he remained where he was, and then went back to waiting for things to begin. Kyuubi growled back.

"I meant another demon you idiot! Two actually…" it mumbled, and Neji spared him a glance, and then shook his head. He was not sure he liked dealing with demons…

"Oh great…and what do you plan to do? Run up there and tell them to all go home?" he asked, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm. Now it was Kyuubi's turn to glare death.

"That would be stupid. I would be attacked on sight by one of them…the other…I am not talking about _her_ at all." And for the first time Neji saw it shudder. He inclined his head to one side and blinked at Kyuubi in confusion.

"ANYWAY! Be on guard…and I'm handing control back over to the idiot before the other two notice me." And with that Naruto's eyes turned blue again, leaving a very confused blond to stare at the brunet who looked ready to kill something or some_one_ very soon.

"Ne…Neji? You look like you kinda wanna murder me…d-did I do something stupid?" Naruto asked, and blinked as Neji sat down with a very ungraceful 'thud' and glared up at the ceiling.

"No. Nothing…and nothing is wrong." He cut the blond of, and Naruto closed his mouth.

"O-okay…so I guess we just wait then?" and the silence resumed when the only answer Naruto got was a curt nod from Neji.

Back upstairs the first group was gathered together, consisting of Mitzy, a softball player, Daren and Aren – twins and both on the football team – and Samuel their friend who was more of the bookish type, looking at their guide. It was a girl with long blackish-violet hair, and lilac eyes. A Hyuuga no doubt, only they had those eyes. Though they would never had guessed that a Hyuuga would wear a long black dress that practically _clung _to her frame anywhere that public could see her. Or have matching flats and necklace…she coughed to get their attention back.

"Um…excuse me? I'm your guide today, so please listen to me. This house has been having a few issues in a couple of rooms…and you were kind enough to offer your assistance. I will show you to the rooms that need the maintenance, but what ever you do, do not go into the basement. We have hired help for the…problem down there. Now…this way please." She said, and moved off, gesturing to one of the doors. They followed behind her, talking to each other.

"Man…Daren, how dija manage to talk me into this one again?" Aren complained. Samuel sighed.

"He threatened to tell you mother about you collection of –" and then he was cut off by Aren complaining again.

"Ah! Who cares…It's just gonna be cheesey robot things and people jumping out of corners anyway…can we go home now?" he whined, and Daren hit him.

"Daren! Don't hit him like that! And I don't want to be her anyway…" Mitzy complained, and Daren rolled his eyes.

"Oh be quiet. I don't want to sit around campus all day…do you?" and Samuel coughed slightly.

"Actually I had been reading this one book…sorry." He went to say, but from the scathing look he got from Daren he knew it was time to be quiet.

"Sam…you need a life." Aren commented, and shook his head. Daren hit his twin again, and Mitzy kicked Daren.

"Excuse me? The first room is through here." The Hyuuga said, and gestured to the door.

"Let's get movin' so we can get this over with." Aren said, as he pushed the other two in before him. Though even he stopped and turned around when the door clicked shut. And then a small gasp was heard from the other side.

"O-oh dear…I'm sorry…the door slipped…Well, the rooms that need attention are all connected to another hall on the other side…please unlock the door to that hall and I'll meet you there…now I need to find the key…" the last trailed off as their guide wandered further away from the door.

"Damn…this is so lame…we're locked in! What an idiot of a host…" Mitzy grumbled, and Daren sighed. Unbeknownst to them, two people were waiting for them to move just a little further into the room…

"Feh! Let's get movin'. The door is over there, and she said she would meet us in the other hall." Aren grumbled, and Daren nodded. Samuel hung back.

"I-I-I dunno about this guys…I really don't like this room.." he said, looking around nervously. Daren sighed and went back to his friend.

"Then all the more reason to get out of it Samuel." Daren said, clapping his friend on the shoulder.

"Yeah! I'll go first." And Aren walked out to the center of the room.

And then all hell broke loose.

The cabinets in the room began shaking, and some slammed open, coupled with a howling wind. Aren jumped backwards as a cabinet landed where he had been a few seconds before. Before he had a chance to comment on his near-death-by-cabinet, Samuel let out a squeak as something landed on him. He glanced to his shoulder, and let out a full-blown shriek as he saw the size of the tarantula that had landed on him. And then more appeared, from what they could see in the dim lighting, from the cabinets. With yells from the four of them they bolted for the door, Daren slammed it open, and Samuel slammed it shut. Aren was clinging to his twin like a life line.

"I _hate_ spiders…" was the only thing he could say. Mitzy looked white, as did Samuel, while Daren looked annoyed with his sibling.

"Oh? You got here early…I just found the key to the other rooms. Please…this way." They all jumped at the voice, and turned to regard the Hyuuga that had come up behind them. They followed behind her warily, wondering what was next. The first room had scared them…what would the others be like?

"Here we are. Thank you for dealing with that room…I'll find some way to get rid of the spiders later." And with that she opened the next door and they stepped in. And once again the door slammed close behind them.

"Oh! Dear, that's not good…I left the key on the inside of the door…do you mind unlocking the door that leads to the next one? Please do. I'll wait for you here." The woman said, and they heard the tapping of her shoes wander off.

"No more spiders…" Mitzy whimpered, as Daren fumbled around, looking for the key that had somehow gotten lost in the room. When Darne straightened up with the key in hand he failed to notice the looming shape behind him. Fortunatly for him, his companions did.

"YAH!! Behind you!!!" Aren screamed, pointing at the large suit of armor that swung the ax in its hands down at the shocked football player. Samuel dove for his friend, taking his knees out and taking him to the floor just in time to avoid the ax.

"Get out…" the armor moaned, and the three boys and one girl hastened to obey. They skittered to the door, unlocked it, bolted through, and slammed the door after them, all in one motion.

"Well…that was funny. And short." Choji remarked as he lifted the visor of the helmet. Lee, who had turned off the high-powered magnet, snorted, as he flipped the blanket off of himself.

"Truly. I hope that one learns not to pick on his less-fortunate friend from this." The other responded, even as their head-sets were still filled with the choked laughter of Sasuke, Sakura, and the odd chuckle from Shino – who had been in charge of the first room.

"…hoeboy…that was interesting. Samuel? Are you okay." He asked, as he looked to see their friend sprawled out on the ground.

"…I feel like I hit a brick wall…" the boy responded, from his place on the floor.

"Thanks…I think…anyway, here's this room…nothing bad has happened, so maybe we should just get out and hope the next one isn't worse." Daren said, as he pulled Samuel to his feet. Samuel sighed, and took the key from Daren, and marched to the door, unlocked it and got out with no problem, and was followed by the other two.

"…maybe we should have you do this more often." Aren commented, and earned another whack from his brother.

"Hello again. I see you got out…so sorry. That suit of armor is really nasty, but at least I know to keep out of that room for now." The Hyuuga lady commented, and ended up on the receiving end of four glares. The lady took no notice, and lead them to the last door.

"Here we go…be careful. I'll be on the other side. I'm going to close the door…this room is just a bit…violent." And with that she closed the door before any one of them could protest.

And then they heard something moving in the room. They slowly turned from the door to the room.

And promptly wished they hadn't.

"Wh-what the hell?! This room…eek!" and Mitzy's outburst made everyone jump, as she pointed off to a corner where an open coffin could be see, with a hand jutting out of it, and around it was splattered with blood.

And then it moved. Four shrieks could be heard from the room, and they scrambled to find a door – each of them had watched one too many horror movies involving flesh-eating zombies to even think of being stuck in the same room for longer than need be.

"I found the door! But we need a key! She forgot to give us a key!" Daren yelled, as he shook the doorknob.

"Find it, find it, find it, find it!!" Mitzy wailed, as she scrambled around on her hands and knees looking for the key on the floor. Samuel raided the cabinets, and everything else, while Aren stood by the coffin with a chair in hand just in case the thing got out.

"Found it!" Mitzy yelled, jumping to her feet with the key in hand. No one asked how it had gotten there, because at that moment Aren yelled something un-intelligible about the thing getting up, and Daren snatched the key and jammed it into the lock and slammed the door open, let the others race past, and slammed the door shut after them, and leaned against it with the other three.

"Never…again…" Aren panted, before looking over the other sprawled forms.

"I wanna go back to reading my book now…" Samuel whimpered, once again from the floor.

"Oh…you got out? Well…that was a good job. The last who tried that room were not so lucky. The exit is this way…" the lady said, and they dragged themselves up and followed her to the exit.

Well…most of them.

"Hey…Mitzy? Who's that?" Aren asked, pointing to a long-haired brunet, who was walking in a different direction.

"No idea…where are they going?" she wondered aloud, as she and Aren wandered after him.

Up in the camera room Sakura chuckled, even Sasuke had to stifle a laugh.

"Neji…looks like you have a few shadows. Naruto, get ready." Sakura said, and looked to one particular screen to see Naruto give the camera a thumbs up, before hopping into a coffin of his own, muttering something about a cape getting stuck...Sakura shook her head, and told Neji that everything was in place, also warning Hinata that two had just wandered off the path, and then settled back to watch Hinata act – and boy was she a good actress.

"Aren? He's going into the basement…we were told to keep out of it…" Mitzy muttered, tugging on the sleeve of the football player. Aren shook his head.

"Who cares. This place is scary yes…but it's all fake. Nothing is real, so relax. The basement is probably where they keep the equipment and shit. That's why she said that." Aren said, completely confident in his theory. Mitzy nodded, not quite convinced, but followed anyway.

They reached the steps, and paused for a few seconds, wondering what the noise at the bottom of the steps was, before Aren shrugged it off as a simple trick and plowed onwards. Mitzy was less sure of herself, but scrambled after him as he wandered further down the stairs.

"Wh-what the – No! Let me go you unholy monster!" and then there was a scream from down the stairs, and both Mitzy and Aren bolted down the last few steps at top speed.

What they saw was the long-haired brunet in the arms of a spiky haired red-head, with unnaturally bright blue eyes, clawed hands, and _fangs_ to boot. Fangs that were already red with the blood of the brunet in his arms. Aren screamed, and bolted back up the stairs when the brunet was dropped to the floor, and the demon began advancing on them. Mitzy, on the other hand, put one hand on her hip, as her eyes changed to an ocean blue.

"Now, now Kyuubi…is that any way to handle the priest?" she asked, and Naruto blinked once, before his eyes turned red, once again.

"Nibi no Bakeneko…how long did you plan on taking to get here?" he grumbled, and the girl smirked at his obvious irritation.

"As long as I wanted, Kyuubi no Yoko. But this in only a meeting. I cannot stay long, or my host will find something amiss…and her friends will come looking." She said, before sighing. She had missed him all those years. But that was not the point here, and she hummed to herself as the priest hauled himself to his feet.

"Then why are you here?" Neji asked, in a caustic tone.

"Ah, you wound me with such a tone, priest. But I'm here to make sure you two have backup…you'll need it later." She replied, before flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Tah-tah, I must be leaving now." She said, before taking off up the stairs, and disappearing from sight.

"One down…seven to go. And one is in the house still…" Kyuubi grumbled, and Neji sat down on a chair again, even as he wished that his life would go back to normal.

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"…I think one of the cameras broke…the one in the basement." Sasuke commented, as he looked over to see the static in that screen. Sakura sighed.

"Naruto probably hit it on accident. He'll fix it soon enough. Besides, the next group is coming through, and it has some of our teachers in it!" Sakura said, pointing at the screen excitedly, thus distracting Sasuke from the camera 'malfunction' so they couldn't see the flashes of the confrontation of the two demons. And they would miss what was coming next as well…

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Up in the waiting room, another demon was plotting, and as soon as he saw the opening Shukaku moved off, into the halls, and after hiding from the cameras he made it to the stairs to the basement. He ignored the fact that his host was having second thoughts about killing the priest, and moved forwards.

"Oh, Kyuubi…remember me?" he called, as soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs, and saw the Kyuubi shoot to his feet as his aura was detected.

"You! Ichibi no Shukaku…what do you want, you deranged idiot?" Kyuubi grumbled, having taken a sever dislike to Shukaku when they had first met.

"Now I wonder…what could I be here for? Right? You have a brain, yes? Use it." And the Kyuubi growled at the insult, and moved to block Neji from the demon's path.

"Come any closer and I'll mince you." He growled, and Shukaku cackled.

"Please. Your body didn't help last time, what makes you think it will this time?" it pointed out, making Kyuubi snarl.

"Leave him alone. Leave him alone or I'll tear you apart." Kyuubi growled deep in his throat, producing a sound that Neji _knew_ Naruto never could.

"You can try, oh you can try…but you still have all the others to contend with. Heheheee…I doubt you and Nibi can do much against the rest of them." And then it lunged forwards, and Kyuubi copied him.

But Shukaku had a different target, and moved around the fox-demon's charge, and went for Neji – who was still seated. Said male dove from his seat, and rolled to the side as Shukaku's fist crushed the chair that he had been sitting in. Kyuubi whirled at this and went back after the crazed demon.

"Ahhahahaha…so you really don't care about what happens to my host, do you?" he cackled, and the fox-demon glowered at him.

"To hell with that. Your host is better off dead." He snarled, and went to lunge again, before another voice screamed at him to stop.

'_No! No, don't do it! You can't…it's not his fault…' _Naruto had woken up inside Kyuubi's conscious. And was rallying against his bloody rage.

'**Don't you get it?! If I stop he'll kill your friend!' **Kyuubi snarled, and Naruto shook his head.

'_I know this…but there has to be another way. There is always another way. We just need to find it.'_ Naruto said, and then they were both jarred from further comment as Shukaku kicked their body hard enough to send them flying.

"Naruto! You're bleeding!" Neji yelped, as he scrambled over to help the blond to his feet. But his comment gave the fox an idea.

"…blood. That's it! Priest, do you still have that pocket knife that you cut your hand on?" the fox asked, looking over to Neji, who was trying to hold their combined weight, even as Shukakau readied himself for another attack.

"Yeah…I do…why?" he asked slowly, trying to figure out where the demon was going with the idea.

"Hand it over." Kyuubi demanded, and Neji balked.

"What?! You are not going to use it on – " he went to say more about the subject, but was cut off by the fox, who saw that the other demon was not going to give the much more time.

"Shaddup and hand it over." He growled, and Neji shut his mouth, and handed the small knife over to the demon, who smirked.

"…fine. Here." He said, and the Kyuubi let go of Neji's support, and pulled himself to his feet with a grin.

"Thanks." He said, and faced Shukaku with a smirk of his own.

"So you got a little toy. Big deal." The other scoffed, but the fox only smirked wider, and forced some of his aura through the small object. And it went from a small pocket knife, to a sword that was nearly as large as himself.

"Yes. A little toy that had been covered with the priest's blood." Kyuubi purred, and Shukaku backed up. Kyuubi swung at him, and the tanuki demon barely managed to duck in time. It growled at the fox, and then bolted. It knew better than to take on a weapon that had been purified by that particular priest's blood.

"Great…he's gone. That's enough excitement for today." Kyuubi said, as he let his aura receded and handed the knife back to Neji.

And for once Neji agreed whole-heartedly with him.

(A/N: Whoo…well, what do you people think, eh?)


End file.
